Hollow Ecosystems: Architectural Strategies for Avifaunal Resilience in Cities

Author: Russell Fernandes
Site Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Institute: School of Architecture, CHRIST Deemed to be University
Advisor: Dr. Anitha Suseelan

Description

Ecology is often treated as an addition to architecture; however, the project positions this inter-section of architecture as an ecological interface with a focus of avifaunal resilience, i.e
the ability of the bird communities to withstand and recover from habitat loss, urbanisation and environmental change as a fundamental design parameter.
Rapid urbanisation in Bengaluru has replaced porous, biodiverse environments with sealed surfaces, fragmented green spaces and rigid built forms, resulting in the loss of natural nesting cavities, vegetation, wetlands and natural habitats essential to urban birds. As sensitive bioindicators, declining avifaunal populations reflect broader ecological instability.
The project is situated along the Hebbal–Nagavara Lake system, where wetlands, vegetation, infrastructure, and dense urban development create complex and sensitive ecological edges. The methodological analysis indicates the fragile site location at the intersection of bird flight paths crossing Bengaluru city. The project begins at a regional scale by mapping bird migratory networks and flyways, tracing movements from the North-West, North, and North-East towards Bengaluru and onwards along the Bengaluru–Mysuru corridor. The mapping reveals Bengaluru as a resting, feeding, and refuelling hub within a larger migratory network, where birds rely on continuous water and green systems as stopover habitats. This network-based analysis identifies ecological links, fragmented habitats, and potential areas requiring intervention, informing the selection of the Hebbal–Nagavara lake corridor as the project site.
In response the proposed Research Institute for Avifaunal Biodiversity and Urban Resilience integrates public education spaces, research laboratories, wetland laboratories, temporary research spaces, bird rescue and rehabilitation facilities. It acknowledges prefab-construction recycling cargo containers as a design construction strategy to lessen the environmental impacts during construction.